The use of curb and gutter to line the lateral sides of roads, parking lots, and the like is generally known in the art. Such curb and gutter is typically formed of concrete and serves to provide proper drainage of the roadway and enhance safety by keeping motorists from driving onto the shoulder, median, or sidewalk. The curbing can be laid either before or after the formation of the roadway or other intermediate surface. Commonly, the curbing is laid first and then the pavement is put down between the curbs. This is particularly the order used for new construction projects. Laying the curbing when the roadway or other surface is already in place is often done as part of a tear out or repair project, and is typically done by hand.
As is the case with many concrete forming projects, a form is typically used to define the path of the curbing to be laid. Such a form can be made of wooden supports, metal, or other suitable material during the construction of new curbing. Alternatively, the form can be made of the existing roadway and sidewalk during the construction for a repair job. Wet concrete is placed within the form, in between laterally spaced form members, and is then shaped and smoothed to form the finished curbing.
Conventionally, curbing has been formed in one of two ways—either a large, dedicated machine is used, or the curbing is formed by hand. For large jobs with straight curbing and considerable length, a slip form paver is used to travel along the form to shape and smooth the concrete into curbing. The slip form machine is satisfactory in many respects, but it also presents numerous challenges. For example, such a slip form machine is very large and expensive, and it can only be used to lay curbing along substantially straight paths. The size of the machine makes it unable to turn sharp curves. This shortcoming makes the slip form machine unsuitable for paths requiring a lot of tight curves or other small jobs.
Traditionally, curves in the curbing have been formed by hand, requiring a considerable crew of skilled laborers to form the wet concrete into shaped and smooth curb and gutter. This has historically been time-consuming and back-breaking work that is often difficult and expensive for which to provide manpower. The hand shaping by skilled laborers is not only difficult work, but it also tends to lead to imperfections in the final result, such as wavy curbs. Such hand shaping is often used both for the areas where a slip form machine cannot be used, and for the entirety of small jobs, proving to be a significant obstacle for many contractors.